Conventional horseshoes have a long and often romantic history, conjuring up images of the "village blacksmith." For most of that history, the blacksmith has been an integral part of the horseshoe fabrication process, forging first iron and later steel bar into horseshoes. Such iron or steel shoes are quite heavy, making them inappropriate for use in many situations. For instance, lighter weight shoes should be used for young horses whose legs are not yet strong enough for conventional shoes. Light weight shoes are often used in horse racing. They may also be useful where a horse has injured its leg and should not wear the heavier shoes while the leg heals.
In the past light weight shoes have usually been formed by making a shoe out of a light metal, usually aluminum with steel inserts or calks placed at the points of expected wear. Such shoes, however, have been found to have both poor wear and poor strength characteristics. Generally, use of light weight metals without inserts in horseshoes has been found to produce the same type of problems: rapid wear and severely reduced strength when compared to the standard steel or iron horseshoes.
Modern practice of farriery recognizes that there are many applications which require light weight horseshoes in preference to the conventional iron or steel shoes. However, the light weight shoes should provide wear and strength properties comparable to the heavier conventional shoes. Consequently, it would be desirable to have a light weight horseshoe which has wear and strength characteristics equivalent to heavier conventional shoes.